Gerard Piqué has not come out of the return of the semi-final of the Copa del Rey against Sevilla unscathed after extra time. Barcelona communicates through official channels that the 34-year-old defender has sustained an inner knee ligament strain in his right knee. It is not clear how long Piqué will be out of circulation as a result.
Piqué had just returned from a cruciate ligament injury, which he sustained in the 1-0 away game against Atlético Madrid at the end of November. Initially, Dr. Ramón Cugat, a leading physician in Spain who treated Piqué, has a recovery time of five to six months. The knee specialist advised the center-back to opt for surgery, but Piqué ignored that advice. He chose to rehabilitate from the cruciate ligament injury in an alternative way, partly through strength training.
Partly because of this, Piqué returned faster than expected to the starting eleven of Barcelona. Trainer Ronald Koeman surprised two weeks ago by immediately giving the defender a basic place again in the first leg of the eighth final of the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, who lost 1-4. Piqué then also appeared at the kick-off in the league matches with Cádiz, Elche and Sevilla and the cup match against Sevilla, in which Barcelona qualified for the final of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening, partly thanks to a goal from the defender in the 94th minute after extra time.
Piqué ended the extension limping, however Mundo Deportivo writes that it was initially thought that it was mainly the shock. The medical tests after the match showed no damage. A day after the match, after a scan, it appears that there is damage to the knee. Barcelona has not yet announced how long Piqué’s recovery will take, as it also depends on how his knee develops in the near future. ASH writes that Piqué will be sidelined for three weeks.
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